Couch bed



May 22, 1923. 1,456,146

B. c. POSTON comm BED Filed Jan. 26 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 22, 1923. 1,456,146

,5. c. POSTON COUCH BED Filed Jan. 26, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 B. C. Posi n.

Fate'nted May 22, i923.

entree stares BURTON C. POSTON, OF CHILLICOTHE, OHIO.

COUCH BED.

Application filed January 26, 1921. Serial No. 439,947.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BURTON C. Pos'roN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chillicothe, in the county of Ross and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Couch Beds, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates broadly to improvements in household furniture, and has particular reference to an article of furniture which in the present instance is in the form of a convertible couch, and wherein features of construction are embodied for enabling the couch to be used for all ordinary purposes and yet to embody in the same an improved folding or collapsible bed structure, the latter being of such nature that when the couch is used for ordinary purposes, the bed structure formed therewith will be concealed from view, but by means of simple and efficient mechanism the said couch is capable of assuming an open position whereby the bed structure may be folded and properly presented for active use, the conversion of the couch into a bed being capable of being rapidlyand conveniently accomplished and the several parts of the device maintained in their respectively adjusted positions.

The invention chiefly consists in the provision of an article of furniture of the aforesaid character wherein is included a couch or a sofa which is formed toprovide a leg supported base structure having hingedly connected therewith a movable housing member, the latter having its upper surface suitably stuffed or padded and formed internally to provide a longitudinally extending chamber, and the said base structure being formed to include an improved collapsible and folding frame, which constitutes a part of the bed construction proper, the arrangement of the elements being such that when the couch is used for ordinary purposes, the said frame will be folded upon the upper part of the base structure and will lie within thechamber formed within the housing Inemberand yet be capable, when the housing member, is swung to assume a raised. position, of being extended and suit ably supported to produce a substantial, comfortable and accessible bed construction.

Afurther object of the invention resides iii CQDne'cting the housing member and the basestructure in such relationship that when the apparatus is opened to produce a bed construction the housing member will be positioned to one side of the bed or base structure, and thereby assume a position which will not interfere with the occupants of the bed structure so that thestructure will be freely opened on all sides and unencased by the housing member.

A still further object of the invention resides in the provision of an automatic leg structure for effecting the support of the housing member when the latter assumes an open vertical position.

With these and other objects in view, as will appear as the description proceeds the invention accordingly consists in the novel features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, hereinafter to be fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similarcharacters of reference denote like and corresponding parts throughout the several views thereof:

Figure 1 is a side elevation disclosing my improved couch-bed in its folded position adapted for imparting ordinary service.

Figure 2 is a vertical. transverse sectional view taken along the plane disclosed by the line 2-2 of Figure 1, and illustrating more particularly the internal construction of the housing member and the positions of the folded bed frames,

Figure 3 is an end elevation disclosing the couch-bed in its open or extended position and adapted for service as a bed structure,

Figure 4C is a. detail view in end elevation disclosing the structure for effecting the vertical support of the housing member when the latter assumes its open position,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary top plan view. Figure 6 is a detail front elevation disclosing the relationship between the bed frame and the intermediate pivotal support therefor, and Figure 7 is a detail view taken on the line 77 of Figure 6.

Referring more particularly to the details of the invention, thelatter in the form disclosed in the accompanying drawings consists essentially of a convertible couchbed 1 which broadly includes a base 2 of rectangular form, a hingedly. connected housing member, 8 and a foldablebedframe i. The base 2in this instance includes ver; tical leg posts 5, whichhave their lower ends provided with rollers 6, and have their up per ends connected with transversely and longitudinally extending bars 7 and 8 respectively, the same being rigidly and securely united to produce a solid and substantial frame.

Suitably connected with the upper, longitudinally extending rear edge of the frame 4 is a plurality of hinges 9, which are also connected with adjacent longitudinal edge portions of the housing member 3, the construction being such that the housing member may be pivotally swung to assume various positions with respect to the base construction. The said housing member in this instance is formed to include a box like structure which consists of longitudinally extending spaced side rails 10, and end walls 11, which have their upper edges connected with a support 12, the latter acting to receive and retain suitable springs 13, which are utilized in conjunction with appropriate padding 14 to produce a stufied and resilient seat structure 15 upon the upper portion of the said housing member, the latter being of'any suitable length and of appropriate design in order that the same may be adapted for the service to which couches are usually placed. It will also be noted that by this construction the interior of the housing member will be formed to comprise a longitudinally extending chamber 16 of appreciable depth, the said chamber being delined between the base 2, the side and end walls of the housing member and the resilient seat structure 15 thereof.

Arranged to be normally positioned within the chamber 16 is a foldable bed frame 4, which when not in use is adapted to occupy the chamber 16 so as to be out of the way and concealed from view. .The said frame 4 in this particular embodiment includes a pair of rigid angularly extending brackets 17, which are carried upon the upper surfaces of the transverse bars 7 and are located within the chamber 16; These brackets are formed with elongated slots 18, which are adapted to receive pins or studs 19 which project rigidly from the U shaped frame 20 constituting one of the main parts of the bed structure 4. The frame 20 in this in stance is preferably formed from angle iron and includes a longitudinally extending rear portion 21 and forwardly projecting parallel sides 22 upon which the studs 19 are formed, the said frame20 being of such proportions as to be capable of normally lying within the chamber 16, and to be partially supported by the brackets 17. The forward ends of the sides 22 are pivotally connected asat 23 with short intermediately, disposed frame sections 24 which, when folded, assume substantially vertical positions. j

The sections 24 are primarily utilized in effecting the support of the bed-frame struc ture 4 when the latter assumes an extended position, and to this end the forward of the longitudinally extending bars'8 of the base 2 has its upper surface provided with a longitudinally extending metallic rod 25, the latter being intermediatelybolted or otherwise secured as at 26 to the bar 3. The

opposite ends of the rod 25 are upwardly frame 4 proper, the saidv rails 31, when folded, being disposed to lie within the chamber 16 and to extend above and in parallel relation with the sides 22 of the frame 20, the outer ends of the rails 31 being in turn-connected with a longitudinally extending rigidly connected rod 32, which is adapted to lie above and in parallel relation with the rear portion 21 of the frame 20. Also, as shown in lligure 5, particularly, the bed frame thus produced by the cooperative frame sections has the inside edges thereof connected with springs 33, which areutilized in conjunction with flexibly connected wires 34 to produce a resilient mattress support and yet to enable the frame 4 to be folded, as shown in Figure 2, without interference or obstruction.

In operation, the couch maybe converted into a bed by swinging the housing member 3 bodily about its hinges 9 so'that the saidv housing member will extend to one side of the base 2 and be capable of being supported in such a position by means of automatically operating legs 35. I These legs, as shown in Figure 4, normally lie within the housing member and are slid-ably supported so as to be capable of, projecting through openings 36 provided in one of the rails 10 thereof. The inner ends of-the legs 35 are pivotally connected as at 37 with the outer ends oflinks 38, the latter having their inner ends pivotally connected as at 39 with the base ,2. This arrangement is suclrthat when the couch assumes theposition disclosed in Figure 2, the legs 35 will be concealedwithin the walls of the housing memher, but when the said member is swung to open the couch, the legs 35 will be auto- "inatically projected into engagement with the floor so as to support the housing in a substantially vertical position and to one side of the base 2. When the housing member is so raised the bed frame is conveniently accessible. Then, by grasping the rod 32 the rails 31 may be swung upwardly and outwardly until their horizontal flanges-engage with the similar flanges provided upon the frame sections 24. When this engagement occurs the said sections 24 will be rocked about the pivots afforded by the pintles 28, causing rearward movement to be imparted to the frame 20. Thus, when the rails 31 and their connected rod 32 approach an extended horizontal position, the frame 20 will be forced rearwardly and will be raised vertically by the movement of the studs 19 within the slots 18 of the angularly extending brackets 17 and, as shown in Figure 3, when the sections have finally reached their extended and fully opened positions the same will be located on the same horizontal plane, and at a desirable distance above the floor level.

To limit the outward movement of the rails 31 and also to support the said rails in their extended positions I employ pivoted leg pieces 40, which are pivotally mounted as at 41 upon the outer ends of the rails 31, the upper ends of the leg pieces being pivotally connected with the outer ends of links 42, the said links having their inner ends pivotally mounted about the pintles 28. This arrangement is such that when the rails 81 are fully extended, the leg pieces 40 will be swung automatically to a lowered position and will serve to support the outer portion of the frame 4 and to relieve undue stress upon the main central support provided by the pintles 28. However, when the frame 4 is collapsed, the links 42 by reason of their peculiar arrangement will serve to collapse the leg pieces and to re tain the same substantially in parallel relation with the rails 31 within the chamber 16. It will be noted that by the provision of the brackets 17 the frame 20 will be lowered when the structure 4 is collapsed so that the structure 4 may be compactly folded within the housing member and at the same time will enable the effective height of the bed 1 to be maintained at conventional levels, and also, the said brackets 17 will serve to raise the frame 20 when the structure 4 is extended, so that the latter may be appropriately spaced from the floor level.

If desired, the bars 31 may be equipped with folding head and foot frames 43, which are suitably connected with coil springs 44, the latter serving to retain the frame 43 in an upright position when the structure 4 is extended and also to retain the said frames 43 in a collapsed position upon the wires 34 when the structure 4 is folded. Mattress clamps may be utilized for holding the rails 31 in their collapsed positions within the chamber 16, and to prevent the resiliency exercised by a folded mattress from forcing the rails 31 upwardly into engagement with the support 12.

From the foregoing description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, it will be apparent that the present invention provides an article of furniture which will possess a wide range of utility and yet will be capable of maintaining a conventional appearance when adapted for ordinary use. The construction is such as to enable the apparatus to be easily and conveniently operated when the same is being converted from one use to another, and to permit this feature to be carried out with but a minimum of labor and exertion. The parts of the bed structure 4 have been so formed as to be capable of being compactly folded and to he, therefore, easily inserted and retained within the chamber 16 provided within the housing member. In view of the above it is believed that the operation, construction and advantages of the inven tion will be readily understood by those versed in the art, and therefore a more extended explanation has been accordingly omitted.

hat is claimed is:

In a couch-bed, a base, a housing member formed to include an internal chamber normally disposed above said base, a hinge connection between one of the lower edges of said housing member and said base and capable of permitting said member to be swung to assume a position substantially to one side of said base, and a foldable bed frame capable of occupying said chamber when said housing member assumes its normal position and to be extended to produce a bed structure when said member is elevated to occupy an open position, legs mounted in the housing, and means for pivotally connecting the legs and base tocause said legs to slide when the housing member is swung in either direction.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

BURTON C. POSTON. 

